UTILITY WORKERS UNION OF AMERICA Local No.

369
120 BAY STATE DRIVE BRAINTREE, MA 02178 (781) 848 848-3740 (781) 848-3741 FAX (781) 848-4108

Covanta Charged with Numerous Illegal Actions by NLRB

For immediate release: June 30, 2009 For more information contact: David Leonardi, UWUA Local 369, (508) 801-1540 Mark Brooks, UWUA, (615) 259-1186

The National Labor Relations Board has issued a comprehensive complaint against Covanta Energy and all of its U.S. subsidiaries alleging numerous violations of federal labor law, leaders of Utility law Workers Union of America Local 369 announced today. The complaint, issued on June 30 by NLRB Region 1 in Boston, consolidates an earlier complaint previously issued by the Board against illegal work rules in Covanta handbooks at all of its U.S. gainst facilities. The new complaint also charges that Covanta committed numerous other unfair labor hat practices at its SEMASS facility in West Wareham, Mass. Local 369 represents workers at the SEMASS plant, and has been challenging illegal conduct by the company in the Unions efforts to win a first contract for workers there there. The Boards action confirms our first first-hand experience that Covanta is a rogue employer with no respect for the rights of its employees, stated Gary P. Sullivan, President of Local 369. This is another step in our continuing struggle to win justice for these workers. The complaint charges numerous illegal actions by Covanta at the SEMASS plant, including by erous withholding performance bonuses, safety bonuses, and annual wage increases because workers voted for the Union in an NLRB election last year. The complaint charges that Covanta withheld nion Covant the payments earlier this year because employees formed, joined, or assisted the Union and engaged in concerted activities, and to discourage employees from engaging in these activities. The complaint also charges that Covanta refused to allow a union steward to serve on another t employees Peer Review Committee because he was a steward; announced that Covanta would s refuse to meet until the Union ceased publicizing the labor dispute at SEMASS; changed work rules and employee health insurance wit without negotiating with the Union; refused to provide information necessary for the Union to represent employees and engaged in other illegal conduct. employees; conduct The Boards action consolidates an earlier NLRB complaint charging Covanta with maintaining illegal rules in three different versions of its employee handbook at all of its facilities in the U.S. hree handbook U.S UWUA Local 369 represents over 3,000 employees in the utility, energy, and related industries across Massachusetts, and is affiliate with the Utility Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO. The affiliated rica, AFL NLRB complaint is available at http://www.cjcw.org/notice/Covanta_consolidated_complaint.pdf http://www.cjcw.org/notice/Covanta_consolidated_complaint.pdf.

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